Driving down 191 from Moab to Monticello it looks like you are traveling through a barren wasteland. But for the curious among you an amazing adventure awaits.
Will you see other people? Probably not, maybe you’ll run into the rancher checking on his cattle. Will the trails be marked well? Maybe, San Juan county publishes maps, but not all the trails have markers. Will you find the parking spot? I mean, the whole place is covered in trails, you can park anywhere. And this one is the important one, will you have fun? Yes.
You’ll start heading across fields of sage brush, but once you begin heading towards one of the canyons it will get interesting. Winding canyons, smooth sand to gnarly abandoned mining tracks. On the way you’ll find old camps, homes built in caves, a few arches and lots of adventure.
You can buy any number of FA Barnes Canyon Country guides for the area for inspiration and a more or less description of the route. Or you can grab a Latitude 40 map and draw something out. Really there is no bad route. The place is incredible. Bring lots of water, there are two springs I know of, one is on a trail closed to bikes and the other is intermittent. Be prepared and maybe do a few shorter trips to get the lay of the land before you jump into a longer one.
Go out, have an adventure and let me know how it goes. Ride on!
